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“It’s the beautiful woman that surprises people.”
“Why is that, John?” Reese inquires, annoyance tingeing her question.
Change of pace, Adam. “Well, strong, intelligent women tend to intimidate people. So, now I’m thinking of a lawyer or a judge, perhaps?”
She laughs, and I’m still in the game. “Good save.”
“Want me to say garbage woman instead?”
Her eyes grow wide, and she throws her head back, letting out a hearty laugh. “Well played, John.”
Give yourself a pat on the back, Adam. “So, Reese, tell me more about yourself,” I say as I run the tips of my fingers over her hand.
Her body stills and a pink hue covers her cheeks. Normally, I like to keep my distance, so this forwardness that I am displaying confuses me too. I have to wonder if she also feels the gut-flipping sensation that I do?
Her gaze drops to my hand, and I watch how her green eyes move back and forth, studying every vein.
“Not much to tell,” she bashfully admits.
“Now that can’t be true,” I say, poking her hand with my ring finger. Guess I will go first. “So, Reese Grafton. I’m John Peterson. Work as a general contractor. Fixing things here and there.” Her eyes light up. “I love football. Not American football, the true European football.”
“I know nothing about sports,” she admits while laughing.
“Maybe I can teach you?” I ask.
“I don’t work out; I’m a coffee fanatic.”
“I’ll pretend to be awful at the game,” I reply, praying she finally agrees.
Reese giggles and nods her head. “I’d really like that, John.”
“I have one sister. She works as an ER doctor in Texas,” I continue. “Sometimes goes to Mexico for Doctors Without Borders.”
“That’s interesting!” She leans in, completely invested in me. Hook, line, and sinker.
“She is my inspiration,” I say proudly. “You?”
“Brother. He works with military people on their financial stuff. He doesn’t talk about his work, just that he looks out for their interests when they deploy. They deployed him at one point when he served.”
I prop my forearms on the table, bringing us closer. “Now that is more interesting than what I was talking about. We have a lot in common.”
She tucks a thick strand of hair behind her ear. “How so?”
“Both of us have siblings that outdo us on the humanitarian scale,” I reply conversationally.
Well, she does; however, I do not. The stuff about having a sister is all bullshit.
“Yeah, my brother is a good man. He gives so much for our country. Sometimes I feel like I should be doing more, you know?” She leans a fraction closer to me.
Adam, you are nailing this target.
“I feel the same way about my sister. I like to tinker, and my sister literally saves lives.”
Testing the waters to see how she’ll react, I gently take her hand in mine and feel the gentle tingles of excitement when she doesn’t jerk away from my touch. How I wish I could pursue things with her. She has a captivating smile. I smugly puff my chest, watching her large green eyes fall on my lips. Reese licks her lips, and I can tell she is struggling to keep focus.
“I like to build things. The math and numbers to accommodate the needs of our clients. Taking something on paper and creating something from that is exhilarating.” She bows her head. “I have a silly confession to make. Volunteering and civil service freak me out. I don’t like being in a crowd. Too much attention. Is that selfish of me to be that way?” Reese worries her bottom lip and looks up at me.
“So incredibly selfish,” I tease in a mocking voice.
